Buy At Auction – How & Why

Buying a quality government owned vehicle has never been easier! State &
Local Governments across Australia must dispose of over 100,000 vehicles every
single year. You are in a unique position to take advantage of this set of
circumstances every week of the year, whether you are a member of the public,
licensed motor dealer, motor vehicle repairer, or whoever.

The first step in purchasing at auction is visiting this site. Here you can
perform a detailed search for the exact vehicle you are looking for, or simply
choose from a complete catalogue for the upcoming Government Vehicle Auction at
your local Auction Complex.

If you are unfamiliar with the auction process, we suggest attending your local
auction house as an observer to get a feel for the way an auction is conducted.
This way, when you are ready to buy, you will feel comfortable in the auction
environment. - It’s also a good way of getting an idea of the types of prices
vehicles are selling at.

Alternatively, you can also attend some of our regional sites every weekend and
buy before auction at a pre-auction price. To see which Government Auction
locations offer weekend pre-auction selling, click on the Pre-Auction Sales tab
above.

How to Register

By now you’ve got a few cars in mind and you’re ready to “have a go”. Simply
turn up on the morning of the auction and fill out a Buyers Registration Form –
for this you will need to produce your valid Australian Driver’s Licence with
your current address. The Registration Form enables us to issue you with a
Bidder Number for this auction, which is your identity for the duration of the
day’s auction sale.

At the Auction

All vehicles will be lined up in our auction complex, selling in Lot Number
order. At the beginning of the auction, the auctioneer will announce the terms
and conditions under which the sale will take place.

Each lot is sold as a separate unit and is sold in numerical order. All vehicles
have a Reserve Price set by the vendor (government or statutory authority) and
the auctioneer will commence the bidding at a reasonable starting figure. The
bid usually rises in increments of $500, $250, $200 or $100 – no less. To bid,
raise your bidder’s card in the air in full view of the auctioneer or his
“spotters” until you have been acknowledged by the auctioneer. From this point,
continue bidding as you see fit as the auctioneer will make it plainly clear
where the current bid lies.

Auction Outcomes

There are only 3 possible outcomes once the bidding has stopped on a particular
Lot number.

If the vehicle reaches reserve it is sold to the highest bidder.

If the bidding stops just short of reserve, that price will be referred back to
the owner of the vehicle and negotiations will only take place with the highest
bidder. This is called a referral. If a bid is referred to your buyer
number, you have the option of purchasing the vehicle at the reserve.
If you are waiting for an answer on such referrals, you may bid &
purchase any other vehicles in the sale.

If the bidding stops too far below reserve, the vehicle will be passed in and
will go in the following week’s auction sale.

If you are a successful bidder, you will be required to leave a $500 deposit
(cash or bank cheque) on the fall of the hammer, and pay the balance by cash,
bank cheque, BPAY, EFT or through your finance company within 24 hours.

Congratulations, you’re the highest bidder

Now comes the business of paying. Acceptable payment methods are cash, bank
cheque, BPAY, EFT or finance. Only once cleared funds are in our bank account
will we release the vehicle to you. If you choose not to go ahead with the
purchase of the vehicle you will forfeit your $500 deposit. Included in your
Invoice may be a Buyer’s Administration Fee, and a Handling Fee – there are no
other hidden administration costs or fees. If you choose to pay by cash or bank
cheque, present your funds to the cashier and drive away today. If you choose
to pay by BPAY, EFT or Finance, please understand the vehicle will not be
released to you until those cleared funds enter our account (not leave your
account).

Do you need finance?

If you require finance on your vehicle, we have finance facilities based at our
auction sites provided by Money Now. We suggest contacting them before
attending auction so you are pre-approved and know how much you can spend.
To contact Money Now, call 1300 937 937 or
click here to apply for finance

What to do once you have purchased your vehicle

You are now the owner of a Government vehicle. Most of our Government vehicles
are sold with current registration. If this is the case with your vehicle, you
have 14 days to proceed to the Roads & Traffic Authority and transfer the
registration into your name and pay any Stamp Duty applicable in your state. If
your vehicle was sold as unregistered, please see the State specific details on
this website, as the procedures are different from state to state.